Clay Lacy Aviation will become a dealer for SpaceX’s Starlink low-earth orbit satcom terminals and will install the systems at its MRO facilities in Van Nuys, California, and Oxford, Connecticut.
So far, supplemental type certificates (STCs) are available for three aircraft families. STC holders include Nextant Aerospace—with approvals for the Gulfstream G650/650ER and Bombardier Global 6000, Express, and XRS—and Aerospace Design & Compliance for the Embraer ERJ-135/145.
Additional Starlink STCs are under development for the Bombardier Challenger 300/350 and Global 5000/5500/6500/7500; Gulfstream G550/G450/IV/V; Embraer Legacy 600/650, Praetor 500/600, and Phenom 300; and other types. Downtime for installation ranges from 15 to 25 days, depending on the aircraft model.
SpaceX said Starlink offers download speeds of 40 to 220 Mbps and upload speeds of eight to 25 Mbps on its global network. Latency is “less than 99 milliseconds.”
Service plans start at $2,000 per month for 20 GB and $10,000 per month for global unlimited. Onboard hardware consists of a fuselage-mounted electronically steered antenna, power supply, and two wireless access points.
“Starlink offers business aviation high-speed, global-coverage solutions that can transform the flight experience for passengers, as well as enhance the operations for crewmembers," said Clay Lacy avionics manager Eddy Diaz. "We anticipate many aircraft owners will be eager to add this reliable connectivity technology.”